On making decisions.....or not

It's another one of those 'drained and overwhelmed' days, I'm afraid. I'm getting closer to the end of this contract and, so far, nothing in sight to replace it. I'm still toying with the idea of going back to university but, in all honesty, if I could find writing to replace what I am losing then I would be happiest to keep doing what I am doing.

I had a lovely chat with a friend over coffee this morning which cheered me up no end, but also reminded me of how lucky I am to not be in work every day. It's a real luxury to be able to have half an hour over a drink after the school run, and I've been lucky to be able to do it for years now. I've also been taking it forgranted and the possibility that I may not be able to do it for much longer is heavy on my shoulders.

Today, I have written three articles for VisitBritain and I'm now looking at my 'To Do' list trying to work out what to tackle next. It's this bit that I find so overwhelming. Which opportunities do I aim at first? Which is most likely to come off? And when one of my stories could be suitable for two different things, how do I decide where to send it? See, this is my problem, I've never been very good one the old decison making......I'm a ponderer......a thinker........and as such am liable to not actually get much done. Hmmmmm........ maybe I'll put the kettle on...........maybe

My Little Newton

Yes, it's another bedtime story of the Bean. He really is a one....and a funny one at that!

Last night it was the usual story. He'd been told 'Lights Out' and so should have been quietly in bed, drifting into snoozledom. Well, all was quiet...until

BANG!!

OK, so it probably wasn't that loud, but it sounded it from downstairs. We went up to his room to find him standing up, on the floor with a piece of yellow, rubber meccano in his hand.

'What are you doing? You should be asleep!' - we were not best pleased.

'I...er...I was.....er...'

'WHAT were you doing.'

'An experiment'

'What?'

'I was doing an experiment. See if I throw this meccano over my shoulder I can't see it and it's behind me. And, my eyes don't move as quickly as the meccano, it gets faster and my eyes can't move that fast. See?'

We saw. He was recreating Newton's experiments on gravity. At 10pm. With a piece of meccano. And he's 5. Sheesh, he's got some brain - I just wish he'd let it switch off occasionally!

Anyway, we stopped shouting, applauded him for his thought processes but said there was a time and a place and this wasn't it. He climbed back in to bed.

'Night Night, now get some sleep'

'Night Night. Love you. If I threw it on Mars or on the Moon it would be different, wouldn't it? It would move slower there.'

'Yes dear. Why don't you think about that as you drift off to sleep. But no more experiments tonight.'

'OK. Night night.'

I wonder what tonight will bring.....Einstein maybe?

A Modicum of Success!

I received an email this morning from Chat magazine who have accepted the anecdote I sent to to them with the Bean's photo last week - BIG thanks to Womag's blog for giving me the push to send them out! OK, it's not going to pay a huge amount but it's a start and to get a positive email is just fantastic - especially at 9:30am on a Monday morning!!!!

The Wii fit is going well - I think! I'm certainly enjoying it anyway, SO glad that it's finally here. I'll be writing my WeightWatchers blog this morning too, it's so good to finally feel that I'm getting somewhere. When other parts of life are uncertain it's good to feel that there is one area that I can keep control of.

There's a lot going around my head at the moment, work wise, as I try to decide whether or not to head back to University. It's a huge decision, one that is overwhelming at times. There are pros and cons to both sides but, for now, I'm just going to keep thinking it over. I've registered for more information so I'll be able to make a more informed decision soon.

On work and decisions.

Another Sunday and so another 12 hours in work.......Today is actually going fairly quickly and I am currently reporting on the travel situations for BBC Lancashire, BBC Manchester and BBC Cumbria. Nothing is happening to report on, mind you and so it's more a list of roadworks. Still, it may be dull for me but at least it's been a safe day out on the roads of the North West.

The Bean had his second riding lesson yesterday and had a fantastic time. I really hope he continues to enjoy it. I must admit to being very envious as he climbs up into the saddle - I would love to be up there alongside him. Still, maybe one day!

I finally got my Wii Fit yesterday - WHOO! I've not had much of a go on it yet, thanks to a certain little person taking over(!) but I'm itching to have the time to play on it tomorrow. It was more than slightly depressing having to sort out the body test at the start....my Mii looked fit to burst as it expanded to fit my rather unhealthy BMI! Still, I suppose it will be nice to watch as it shrinks again!

This coming week will be full of job seeking and mind trawling as I am obsessed at the moment with what my future may hold in terms of work and career also the decisions I can make to affect it in different ways.........heady stuff! Maybe I'll share more later in the week. I'm also planning to get more writing done and sent out too. It promises to be a busy week. I hope it's also a fruitful and productive one.

I am a loser! I am a loser!

Woohoooo!! I lost 2lbs this week! Go me!!! I'll be very excited to write this week's weightwatchers blog! It's so much fun when I'm imparting good news :)

Not a whole lot else to report really. I have dropped my two application forms in at the relevant places this morning, so we'll see if anything comes from them. One had a closing date today, the other is next Friday I think. Nothing else is coming up trumps on the work front at the mo. I'll keep on digging away and hopefully something will show up soon. It's amazing that one contract can have so much sway in so many different ways. You'll hear me dancing on the roof if I manage to replace it!

I had a lovely trip into town this morning. I quite often go in on Friday mornings. I don't meet up with anyone, just have a bit of a mooch around! I had a coffee and muffin in Starbucks (both skinny I might add!) and then headed up to the library. I ended up buying a book/garage set that I've put away for the Bean's birthday and I bought a couple of T shirts for myself that I really like too. Good trip all round!

The Bean has finished his punishment in school now, I'm hoping it doesn't happen again any time soon! We'll be making sure he gets lots of rest over the weekend to try and get him back from being run down. He's got his second riding lesson tomorrow as well! I hope Roxy the pony is ready!

Thursday's Ramblings

There's trouble in camp! The Bean came home from school with a 'red card' yesterday. His first. Oh dear. This means he is in the bean version of 'Time Out' for some time today and tomorrow! It takes three warnings to get a red card - he managed them all in one day. I think he has learned from his actions though, I hope so! He's also full of a cough and cold. Seems really run down, poor thing. Lots of sleep and warm drinks coming up!

I'm still waiting on something, anything on the work front. I've filled in both my 'normal' job applications now so I will drop them off later on today. Still nothing back from the pieces I have subbed to the mags. One thing that has worked out though is that parts of this very blog are now going to be published in our local paper and on their website. It won't replace the work I am losing in March financially but you never know where these things can lead and so I'm not one to turn down an opportunity.

The weight loss is going well this week. It's offical weigh in day tomorrow, so I'll report back then, but I'm hoping to record a nice loss this week! hurray! My wii fit was supposed to be delivered today but instead, I received a letter saying it's delayed by a week. I'm beginning to think it's never going to get here!

Dejected and Fed Up

I'm having one of those 'It's hard to stay positive' days. It's entirely work related as the impending loss of my biggest contract is weighing heavy on my mind. I've spent the last few days subbing lots of articles, fillers, you name it to magazines and, of course, I'm not hearing anything back. It's the silence that's hard to take. A straight rejection is, in some ways, easier. You can pick yourself up, dust your idea down and start redressing it for another market. The waiting is impossible. Every time I log into my computer I'm hoping for an email with some good news. I'm just not getting emails at all and I know, I need to be a lot more patient, but when you NEED the work it's hard going. It's bad enough when you only want it.

I have two application forms in the dining room for 'normal' jobs. I've filled one in so far. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy it. It's not that it probably wouldn't do me some good. It's not that I'm lazy and don't want to work. It's just then I won't be a working writer any more. At least not in the same way. I've been so proud to be able to make enough money doing what I love and I don't want to let that feeling go. It's hard and it's with me every hour of every day at the moment.

I'll keep plugging on, maybe some miracle will come along and I will find regular contracts to make up for the one I am losing. I'll keep you updated. Until then, I'm going to put the kettle on and have a cammomile tea.......whilst I search through the jobs online.....

I'm sure I'll soon feel more like myself again. This is the reality of freelance working. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day to get the work done and some times there's not enough work to fill the hours in the day. It's swings and roundabouts, snakes and ladders....right now I'm looking for a ladder as I slide down a snake!